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Wisconsin: Five high schools blocked from UW Band Day at Saturday's game

By George HesselbergThe Wisconsin State Journal

Posted:
09/15/2012 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
09/15/2012 12:41:18 PM CDT

A somewhat sour note in an otherwise sweet deal required the University of Wisconsin Marching Band to uninvite five high school bands that were counting on performing at halftime of Saturday night's football game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

The traditional Band Day this year filled its 2,900-ticket quota -- an unprecedented response, band officials said -- so the last five out of 47 bands to accept their invitations had to be told there was no room in the stadium for them, said Shannon Schaefer, band spokeswoman.

Band director Michael Leckrone contacted the directors at the affected schools and invited them to next year's event.

The five bands not attending are from Beloit Memorial, Germantown, Brookfield Central, Franklin and Milton high schools.

Band Day is a long-standing UW football tradition; this is Leckrone's 44th. High school band members from across the state, invited if those schools have alumni playing in the university's marching band, fill the Field House end zone portion of the stadium with brightly colored uniforms and shiny instruments.

Those attending must pay $21, or half price, for a ticket and bring a lunch and instrument (no cases allowed), wear the uniform and play, along with the UW Marching Band, four numbers at halftime, Schaefer said.

This is the first time all the spots have been filled, she said. Technically, the 2,900 participants take up 3,500 places because room is needed for the instruments and equipment.

"We've never met the maximum," Schaefer said.

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Band officials speculate that the high response is due to more bands being able to make the trip to Madison because the game is at 7 p.m. -- a night game gives schools a more practical departure time, especially if they are coming from the state's hinterlands. (The Valders band will be there, for example, along with Superior, Peshtigo and Wausau East and West.)

Leckrone said Band Day is an event he relishes "not only because it is fun to watch, but frankly because it is one of our greatest recruiting tools."

The bands will be playing "Dancing in the Street," "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Soul Man" and, fittingly for at least five absent bands, "Heartache Tonight."